Late In Life. I became an aircraft owner after flying other people's airplanes for more than 40 years. I decided to check into a type-specific clinic-sort of a practice-what-you-preach deal. With more than 1,000 hours in Bonanzas, my aircraft was familiar, but now that I'm writing the maintenance, insurance, and fuel checks it seemed prudent to learn more. Editor in Chief Tom Haines and I attended a Bonanza/Baron Proficiency Training (BPT) program in November. Tom took the refresher while I sat in with the newbies. Type clubs are super sources to learn who's who and are well worth joining. Some of the bigger clubs, such as the American Bonanza Society (ABS), offer proficiency programs or will point you in the right direction. And although BPT is not affiliated with ABS, the roots of the program go back decades to what once was an arm of the association.
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